Apple's 'toasted sandwich' store in Melbourne to be replaced by boxy design

Giant VCR player: Apple's Melbourne store gets updated designNew designs for Apple's Federation Square flagship store were released on Friday, spelling the end of Cupertino's original design that bore a striking resemblance to the humble toasted sandwich. Read more: https://zd.net/2LdChwY

New designs for Apple's Federation Square flagship store were released on Friday, spelling the end of Cupertino's original design that bore a striking resemblance to the humble toasted sandwich.

The new rectangular design will now have solar panels, include a "solar shading design feature" that improves efficiency of the building, return more than 500 square metres of public space, and provide better access to the Yarra River from Federation Square.

"This is more than just a store, it is a community activation space that will host arts, cultural, tech, and music events complementing the original charter of Fed Square," said Victoria Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren.

Federation Square CEO Jonathan Tribe claimed that the silvery cathedral of Cupertino-focused consumption highlighted Melbourne's "pre-eminence as a centre for creativity and innovation".

In January last year, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews dismissed concerns over the demolition of several existing buildings to make way for the store, with over 50,000 people signing a petition against the plan.

"Not everybody agrees with this, but would people have really preferred us to have said 'no, absolutely not, go and put your iconic Apple store up in Sydney?'" he said at the time.

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